All-Ireland holders Tipperary picked up where they left off last September on their return to Croke Park, outgunning Dublin with surprising ease to get their Allianz league campaign off to a flying start.

A 0-8 haul from Seamus Callanan, 1-3 from Jason Forde and a couple of excellent displays by Aidan McCormack, who reeled off 0-5 from play, and captain Padraic Maher all added up to a comfortable 16-point win.

Boss Michael Ryan went with just seven of his All-Ireland final team – the same number incidentally that a youthful Dublin retained from their last Championship game of 2016 – and came good after a slow start.

Tipp led by just five at the break but powered past Dublin in the second-half and the hosts’ agony was compounded by Shane Barrett’s 70th minute dismissals for two bookings.

Tipperary didn’t participate in the Munster senior league pre-season competition and, perhaps as a result, took the first 20 minutes or so to get into their stride.

Dublin, who played three games in the Bord na Mona Walsh Cup, moved 0-4 to 0-1 ahead thanks to points from Niall McMorrow, Oisin O’Rorke, Fionntan MacGibb and Donal Burke.

But McCormack’s 19th minute point for Tipp was the first of five-in-a-row spree from the Munster champions that put them in the driving seat.

McCormack, from the Thurles Sarsfields club, was excellent in the opening half and picked off three fine points from play, the third of which came on the stroke of half-time from out on the right wing.

Callanan, nominated for Player of the Year three years running, miscued an early point attempt in the rain sodden conditions but clipped over five first-half points from frees.

Dublin added just two points after running up that early lead and found themselves 0-11 to 0-06 down at the break. Dubs manager Ger Cunningham named three players who were minors last year – Burke, Cian O’Sullivan and Paddy Smyth – and needed his youthful side to come up with a big second-half display.

But they were blown away by Tipp’s sheer ferocity and the greater experience of key players like Maher, who boomed over two great points, Callanan and Forde whose 55th minute goal killed off the contest.

Tipp outscored Dublin by 1-10 to no score at one stage in the second-half and the Sky Blues didn’t score a point from open play in the entire 35 minutes. Sub Eamonn Dillon did pinch a late goal for Dublin when he volleyed in a clever ball across goals from Burke.

As his side prepares to line out for the opening fixture of this season’s Allianz Hurling League, Tipperary manager Michael Ryan has named his starting XV to take on Dublin in Roinn 1 in Croke Park, this Saturday, February 11th at 5pm.
With Padraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields) previously announced as Captain, Ryan hands league debuts to Steven O’Brien (Ballina) and Aidan McCormack (Thurles Sarsfields) as Tipp commence this hurling year in the same venue where they successfully signed off the last.